Winter 2023 Virtual Conference: Insights into the Digital Business World
The Winter 2023 Virtual Conference, hosted by students of the BUS 2504 Web Development class in collaboration with the Digital Business Student Association, was an excellent opportunity for students to gain insights into the latest trends and practices in the digital business world.
The first session of the conference featured Candice Cristovao and Kathryn Keenan from Digital Main Street, a non-profit organization that supports entrepreneurs in their digital transformation journey. The speakers shared insights into the various programs offered by DMS, including the ShopHERE program, which helps small businesses start selling online quickly and easily. The program provides 1:1 dedicated support from an eCommerce Coordinator to build or optimize an online store, training on inventory management, shipping, and digital marketing, as well as access to free tools to help support the successful launch of their online store.
The second session of the conference focused on developing e-commerce stores. Julia Over, Performance Marketing Specialist at Futureproof Inc., shared her experience developing e-commerce stores at Futureproof. She discussed the user journey, UX design, scope creep, product knowledge, choice of Apps, Shopify collections, navigation models, inspiration, and best practices.
The third session of the conference featured Thomas Durham, Founder & CEO at Mango Digital, who shared his journey and experience starting his own business after graduating from the Digital Business Management program at Humber College. He discussed the challenges and lessons learned and answered questions about starting and managing a small business.
The final session of the conference was led by Elery Rojas, Academic Partnership Manager at Wix. She discussed the process of planning and developing a website in terms of branding and content preparation, sharing examples of portfolio-style and e-commerce-style websites. Elery also walked the participants through a live demo of the Wix dashboard, configuring a Wix template, SEO, and blogging. She provided an overview of the Wix academic partnership, including how to sign up for the one-year free student account, and discussed the benefits of this opportunity.
The Winter 2023 Virtual Conference was an informative and engaging event that provided students with valuable insights into the digital business world. The conference highlighted the importance of digital transformation and the role it plays in enhancing small and medium-sized businesses' online presence. The conference also offered participants the opportunity to learn from industry experts, ask questions, and engage in meaningful discussions. We look forward to planning and hosting our Fall 2023 conference sessions!
